POV Midorima
My birthday will be exactly forty-two days after Kaori's release from the hospital, and already the week before she is walking unassisted again. I don't need any other present this year. I am running late, so when I approach the kitchen and hear my dad speaking to Takao, I am not surprised.
"I know you want to do something special for his birthday," my dad says, and I freeze, "but a surprise party isn't the way to go about it."
"Really?"
"Really. If you want to gather friends together, that's fine, but Shintarō needs to be in on the planning, especially the guest list, otherwise his Social Anxiety Disorder will make the whole event so uncomfortable that it won't be a good surprise."
"Ok," Takao sulks. "Maybe I'll just make him some of my family's traditional kimchi and make it a quiet celebration."
"Now that sounds more like my son."
It would be awkward if I were to walk into the kitchen at that moment, so I back up a few steps and visit the bathroom. It extends the amount of tardiness I am already suffering from. Oha Asa is accurate: "Cancers should expect trials today; if you depend on others, you will be able to make it through. A close friend or lover will have the perfect suggestion for making the week ahead a better one."
Takao has his bright smile on when I walk into the kitchen sixty seconds later.
"We're gonna be late, Shin-chan, how about we take the bus?" he asks. I will depend on him today and I will be ok.
"What do you want to do for your birthday this year, Shin-chan?" he asks as we sit side by side on the bus, his hand in mine.
"I haven't given it much thought," I say, even though it is the only topic bouncing around my head since hearing him and Dad plot this morning. I can only hope he will listen to reason.
"We could do something with the team, maybe?" he suggests.
"I have no interest in spending more time with the first years. I now understand why our senpais hated us."
"They didn't hate us," he chuckles. "They liked me."
"Tch," I say, of course I knew that; everyone likes Takao. He is popular and charming and has an easy way with people.
"That was just a joke, Shin-chan." He pats my arm.
"But the idea of spending my day with people whose company I do not despise isn't completely repugnant."
He tries to stifle a snicker, but it turns into a full-blown laugh when he sees the uncertainty in my eyes.
"You are such a tsundere. Ok, who don't you despise?" He takes out his cellphone and pokes at the buttons one-handed until he brings up a blank memo screen. His cellphone is so old he is able to accomplish this without letting go of my hand. The clamshell clasp that holds it closed is broken and I wonder how much longer he will be able to make it work. I want to say a name, any name, so that he can type it on the list, but there are so few people that haven't annoyed me or emotionally scared me, that I am quiet too long.
"Well," he says, letting his phone snap closed, "we don't have to make the list now."
Takao's POV
I could tell that Shin-chan was seriously considering names to be placed on the birthday party invitation list all day by the slightly more pronounced downward curve of his mouth. I tried to think of people to suggest and for every name I found, I found two reasons not to invite them. First, I tried to think of students at Shūtoku, but those in his class barely tolerated him, and he made it clear that he didn't want to spend the day with our teammates.
Secondly, I thought about the Generation of Miracles. No matter what he said, I knew he was frightened by Akashi. Aomine was a bully. He often called Kise 'trivial.' Murasakibara was too far away and Kuroko, while respected, was an A-type personality that 'wasn't compatible.' That was complete bullshit, they were very much alike and that was why he couldn't stand Kuroko. He was a mirror, too highly polished to reflect back Shin-chan's outward-appearing apathy. I figured that the guest list would finally include only his parents and our sisters. Wow, I was totally depressed just thinking about it.
At the end of the day, we walked back home using that last bit of exercise as part of our cool-down routine after practice.
"Would you like to join us for dinner?" he asked.
"I would, but I can't tonight. Yukina's got recital at school, joy. There is nothing I like more than sitting through hours of other people's siblings playing out-of-tune instrumental solos, while waiting for my sister to play a piece I've been forced to listen to her practice for the last eight week, but that's what a big brother is for."
"I understand. Thank you for not inviting me," he said. "Ah, before I forget, here's a list of people you may invite to my birthday celebration."
I took the sheet of carefully folded paper and tucked it into my pocket, unopened. I waited until I got home to read the list. It said:
1. Kuroko and a guest. Please make it clear, I would prefer that guest isn't Kagami.
2. Kise, as long as he brings along a babysitter. Like Sake, Kise is not palatable unfiltered.
Under the list was one more word that was not a name. It said: Karaoke?
The Oha Asa website was the first place I consulted when I went looking for the perfect birthday present for Shin-chan. Suggestions for Cancer birthdays were all themed around the birthstone, ruby. There were helpful links to buy jewelry for both men and women and as I browsed through them, Yukina peered over my shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
"Shopping for Shin-chan's birthday present."
"Jewelry?"
"It says on Oha Asa that a person's birthstone automatically raises their rank one level if it is given as a gift by your lover. I was thinking, maybe if I got him something like that, it would make him happy."
"That one's pretty, but masculine too," she said and pushed me forward into the keyboard so she could point at the link on the bottom right-hand corner of the page. I clicked on it and brought it up to a clearer picture. She was right, it was simple, but elegant, and the size would be large enough to be seen if he wanted it to show and small enough to hide discretely under clothing if he didn't. The cheapest version was set in white gold and cost around ¥28,000. The store was local and the website said it was in stock, all I'd have to do was run downtown.
"Do you have that much?" she asked.
We'd both learned years ago to keep all of our spending money on our persons at all times, so it was as simple as pulling my wallet loose to answer her question. I had two ¥10,000 bills and a handful of coins. Yukina pulled out her purse and peeled a single bill off her roll.
"I'll pay you back, I promise."
After us, Kise and Kasamatsu arrived first. Kasamatsu and I had exchanged numbers long ago and we'd stayed in contact even after he'd gone away to college, so asking him to be Kise's babysitter had been a no brainer. Mitobe arrived next and then I noticed, no, he'd been right behind Kuroko. The six of us sat in the booth, with the awkward birthday boy in the middle of the gathering.
Kuroko's choice of companion was perfect; the quiet hook shooter balanced out most of the noise Kise created. After offering Shin-chan the first go with the microphone, which he declined, Kise got up and sang an American song by someone named Justin Bieber. I have no idea what the words were in actuality, but it seemed that Kise didn't either. I picked an American song too, The Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris," just so I could rub in my superior language skills, and also because it fit Shin-chan really well.
Mitobe went to get drinks and came back with six cans of Shin-chan's favorite red bean soup. I missed Kuroko's turn at the microphone while swapping war stories of our Generation of Miracles teammates with Kasamatsu. Kise ran back from the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and spread himself wide across it to keep it closed.
"Fan girls," he sighed.
POV Midorima
The whole idea is a horrible mistake. Mitobe is the only one not getting on my nerves. He is quiet and solicitous – so quiet, in fact, I don't believe I've heard him say a word. When he notices our drinks are empty, he is the first one up and out for more. Takao and Kise get along too well for my tastes. They sing a duet of some English song and are hanging all over each other.
Kuroko appears and disappears all night and Kasamatsu is constantly chasing fan girls away. If this is what it is like to have friends, perhaps I need to rethink the matter. We only have the booth for two hours though, and as I check my watch again, I feel some hope in that I will only have to suffer this for another thirty minutes.
The door opens and I expect yet another set of screaming, mewling fan girls or Mitobe with another round of drinks, but the door opens and instead of red bean soup, he is holding a box with flaming candles peeking over the edge. I stay still as he approaches, weary of ending up with cake smashed in my face like Aomine did to me during our final year at Teiko. I don't think I can handle broken glasses and a black eye again. The others stop what they are doing and begin to sing. Mitobe carefully places the box down on the table. There are six individual cupcakes, all frosted to look like mini basketballs.
"Make a wish," Takao says, kneeling beside me as I stare at the treats. I lean forward after confirming that Kise is too far away to make a last second attempt at a prank, and blow the candles out in one go.
"I told Takao no cake," Kise said, proudly. "Not after that douchy thing Aomine did to you."
"I appreciate that, Kise," I say.
Thanks to my Beta Reader Sarah!